Blank-feeding device.



J. T. WILMORE.

BLANK FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5. 1915.

Patented Apr. 8,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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umrsn STATES PATENT onrion.

JOHN T. WILMORE, or SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

BLANK-FEEDING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, JOHN T. VVILMoRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Blank-Feeding De vices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines which are employed in making tincans and consists of a device for feeding single can-body blanks to the mechanisms which act thereon to form the can body. My invention comprises the novel parts and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a feeding device for blanks of this kind which shall be certain in its acti0n,bothas to reliability of feeding and of feeding butone blank at a time, and one which is capable of a higher rate of operation than the devices which are in common use. Other objects will be hereinafter set forth. v

In the accompanying drawings 1 have shown my device embodied in the constructions which are now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my device, showing thepile from which the blanks are to be fed and two blanks which have been withdrawn from the pile.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same parts.

Fig. 8 is a cross section taken on the line 3, 8, of Fig. 1.

Fig. i is an end elevation taken from the delivery endof the device.

Fig. 5 is a side elevatlon of the working parts of the device showing these parts in a differentposition from that shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a like view showing these parts in the position occunied at a little later point in the stroke of the reciprocating blank-dellivering parts.

Fig. v7 is a cross sectional elevation taken from the delivery end of the device, the parts being in the position assumed at a somewhat later stageof the stroke.

It is believed to be generally true, that the speed of operation of a can making machine, is determined by the rate atwhich the blanks may be removed from a pile and dellvered to the forming mechanisms.

Speeification of Letters Patent.

Any change I which will increase the speed of feeding the blanks, Wlll correspondingly increase the output of the machine. It has therefore been my object, first,'to producea device which may be operated at. a higher rateof speed. At the same time, it has alsobeen my object .to have'tlie same device-thoroughly dependresults, as herein shown areas follows:

The blank sheets are shown at 1-, piled "upon each other and held in position by angle bars 10, placed at two corners of the pile anda .bar '11, placedcentrally' of the other side. The bar 11 is upon the side from which the blanks are withdrawn and consequently extend downward only a short distance beneath the bottom of the pile. I

The pile of blanks are supported centrally Patented Apr. 8, 1919. Application filed. April 5, 1915. Serial No.'19,3 69. 7 X

by bars 2, which have a reciprocative move ment beneath the pile, whereby there is a short time during each reciprocation, in which these bars are withdrawn, during which time the central support for. the pile are all connected toreciprocate alike, as by securing. them to the slides 24 Smallplates 23 secure the'bars 2, which serve to remove, the blanks after they have been. separated from the'pile, to the slidesv 24, while an arm,

is supplied by other members, as the 'sepa;

as 25,:secures the bar 26 to the same slide.

The separatingfinger 4 may be secured to move with these parts, as by an arm 40, (see-Fig. 4) which connects it With the bar 26. The peculiar shape of the arm 40, is necessitated by having to pass the removed blanks-back under the separating finger 4. The two bars 2 lieparallelwith the separating finger 4, but are separated therefrom lengthwise thereof,-as is seen in Figs. 1', 2, 5

and 6. The ends of thebars 2 which are next to the finger 4, are cut to 1 form inclines 20, which surfacesface upwardly, and second in} clines 2 1, which face downwardly, and a bottom finger 22 which has a level upper surface and; projects well beyond theQpoint formed by the meeting ofsaid surfaces 20 andl21. 1 m M The separating finger 4 projects or overhangs from its supporting arm, a distance substantially as great as the width of a blank. 7 Its pointed end 41 faces toward the notched end of the bars 2, slightly overlapping the tip or arm 22. The arm 26 projects or overhangs similarly and has its end inclined or beveled .to form a wedge surface 27, which faces upwardly and lies lower than the separating finger 4. The three the lowermost blank. Such means might V be a magnet,:either a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, but I prefer to use a vacuum cup or sucker.

Such asucker is shown at 31, this being carried by an arm 30 which is pivoted at 39 upon a fixed support. The shape of this arm should be such as to avoid interference with thereciprocating parts of the carriage. The suction of this cup should be preferably intermittent, whereby the releasing of the sucker occurs through restoration of atmospheric pressure therein. This maybe most conveniently caused by employing a suction cylinder and piston which produces a draft on the sucker, this being automati cally released when the separating finger has entered between the outer plate and the ile. I P 'An air cylinder 33 may be employed, having connection, as by' a rubber tube 32, with the sucker. The piston 36 has its rod35 connected with a moving part of the device to be operated in unison with the fingers 4 and 26. I'have shown the cylinder as placed with its axis parallel the direction 7 of reciprocation of the slide which also carries these fingers and the piston rod con nected therewith, as by an arm 37 The plate 5 has a slot therein,jcons1st1ng of thestraight sections 50 and 52, which parallel the direction of its reciprocations, and an inclined section 51 connectlng these. i 55 The sucker is connected, as by a link 56, with a bar 5e, whichis pivoted at 55 and carries a roller 53.which enters the slot in I the plate 5, so that the sucker thus raised 7 andjlowered' as the plate 5 reciprocates.

With the carriage and the bars 2, 4: and 26, retracted from beneath the pile of blanks, the piston 36'is at the bottom of the cyhn- V der 33; and the sucker is up with its head in contact with the lowermost blank 1. The return movement of the carriage does not draw down the sucker until the piston has been drawn back a short distance, enough to produce a sufficient vacuum to carry with it. the unsupported end of this lowermost blank.

The point ll of the separating finger, 4 thenenters between this down-drawn end of the blank and the blank next above it, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby securing a positive separation of this blank from the others. As the movement progresses, the piston uncovers a slot 34C in the side of the cylinder,

admitting air and releasing the grip of the sucker. At about the time the vacuum is broken, which follows closely after the entrance of the finger t between the blanks, the incline 27 on the end of arm 26, engages the edge of the separated plate, between the end of the plate and the separating finger 4-, to force this end of the plate upward. Following shortly after this, the bars 2 reach a position where the notched ends thereof pass from beneath the farther edge of the pile of blanks. The lowermost plate, being tensed downwardly by the action of finger 4t, flies down so as to bring its central part against the finger 22, or into the position shown in Fig. 7, in which position it will clear the bar 11 when drawn out.

With the return movement of the carriage, the rear edge of the blank is engaged by the inclined surface 21, being thereby held down and forced forward and onto the reciprocating bars 24, further advancing the blanks; or they may be engaged and fed to the can body forming machine in any suitable manner, as by engagement with books 28 carried upon bars 24.

While I have shown and described my invention as acting by first pulling down an unsupported end of the blanks, the same mechanisms may be employed, acting in an analogous manner, by supporting the blanks by their ends and applying the sucker to pull down the center of the pile of blanks, for the entrance of the separating finger.

I have found that, by using a sucker, or some equivalent device, by which the lowermost plate may be drawn down, and combining with this a positive separating member, I can attain a much higher rate of speed in feeding, than I have been able to attain by any of the common types of mechanisms. The sucker is relied upon to separate the blanks only enough to permit entrance of the point of the separating finger. After this, the mechanism by which the blank is handled is wholly of a positive and rapidly acting character.

By the embodiment of my invention shown herein, one end of the pile of blanks is unsupported for some distance, and the sucker is applied to the blanks close to this unsupported end, wherefrom it follows that the bottom blank may be drawn down-by the expenditure of much less force,-than if the blanks were supported near each end and the central section thereof were engaged by blank and its support, when'the'center ofv the blank is drawn vdown. If the pile of blanks is considerable, this resistance may be considerable' Nothing of this sort occurs when their end is unsu )ported and the engagementis with this end. W1thfa'sufficiently powerful sucker this may be ignored.

There is a further reason, probably ofv greater force, why pulling down the end is best. In the latter plan there is unrestricted access of air between thelowermost blank down at the center, the inflow of air between the blanks is' restricted. This may be enough to produce a considerableresistance.

When reliance is had upon simultaneous pulling down of both ends, to enable the removing member to engage therewith, it may, and does often happen, that one end does not come .down, while the other does. The result is the blank is engaged by, one end to pull it out while the other isnot. The result is that the blank is twisted about. in the machine and possibly a wreck, or at least, a serious derangement of the machine occurs. Such result not only stops this par-' ticular machine, but all other machines fol{ lowing it in the line of operations. I

In handling the blanks as it is done with this machine, by first pulling down a free and unsupported end by a single device, while the removing mechanism engages the blank at each side its center, it is certain that, either both. the removing devices engage the blank to properly removeit, or neither engages it. There can thus be no wreck caused by a failure to properly feed. r 1

It is desired to call attention to the fact that the preliminary separation of the blank ciprocations, thereby increasing the time available for certain steps while decreasing the time of a complete cycle of steps.

fact that the sucker is freed from the blank by admission of air thereto before the lat-.

eral removal of the blank isstarted, there beno tearing loose from the sucker by pulling sidewise while the suction is on. The

wear upon the sucker' face is therefore I largely eliminated. The release of the "sucker is further hastened by action of the incline 27 of finger '26 in throwing up this end of the blank.

Having now described myinvention, what I I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is: 1

1. i A means for feedingblanks comprising a 'movable support for the pile located some distance inward from one end, the blanks at thisend being unsupported outwardly of said support, means for separating this 1111- supported end of the first" blank from the remainder, a separating. finger movable in conformity withthe movable'support for the blank's to enter'between the separated end of the first blank and the remainder,

separated blank. i

2. A mechanism for feeding blanksloomprising'means for supporting api1e of the and means for'en 'a in and removin the and that next above it, while when pulling. g g H g I blanks. with one end overhanging the supports a considerable distance, the supportmgmember nearest this end being movable transversely of the blanks to be withdrawn therefrom, and a separatlng finger movable in unison with said supporting member and inserted between the outer and the remainmg blanks as the said supporting member is withdrawn. f i

3. A mechanism for feeding blanks com: prising meansfor supporting a pile of the blanks with one end overhanging the sup ports a considerable. distance, the supporting member nearest this end being movable transversely of the blanks to be withdrawn therefrom, means for deflecting the lowermost blank from therem'ainder and a separating finger connected to move with said supporting member and entering between sald deflected'blank and the remainder as said supporting member is withdrawn.

I 4. A mechanism for feeding blanks coni- 1 prising-means for supporting a pile of. the

blanks withione end overhanging the ,supi A ports a considerable distance, the supporting membernearest this end being movable andremovinggmeans, and a separatingfinger' movablein unison with said supporting member and inserted between theouter and the remaining blanks as the said supporting prising means for supporting the blanks to 125 I blank-supporting means comprising a mem It is also desired to call. attention'to the leave'one end thereof overhanging, said her mounted forrecip'rocation transversely of the pile of blanks, a pair of blank supr portingbars carried by said reciprocating A member and located at each side of thecens transversely of'the blanks to be Withdrawn therefrom, and carrying blank-engaging 7 face of theoutermost of'the blanks at each side the center thereof, one end of said supporting fingers being adapted for engagement, .during their reciprocation, "with the edge of the blanks when the latter are sep .arated from the pile, means for' deflecting an overhanging end of the outermost blank and a separating finger carried by the carriage and entering between the deflected end of the blanka-nd the remaining blanks of the pile.

. 7. A separating means for blanks comprising a finger adapted for insertion between the outermost blank and the others, and a complementary finger lnclined upwardly and back from its end and adapted to engage the outer face of the same blank between the separating finger and the adjacent end of the blank.

8. A means for separating one from a pile of blanks comprising two fingers and means for reciprocating them transversely of the blanks, that one of the fingers which is nearest the end of the blanks having a surface which is inclined'upwardly and back from the end of the finger, and which engages the outer surface of the blank which is being removed, the other finger engaging the inner surface of the blank which is being removed.

9. A means forseparating one from a pile of blanksacom-p rising two fingers and means for reciprocating them transversely of the blanks, and means for deflecting an end of the outermost blank of the pile, that one of the fingers which is nearest the end of the blanks having an inclined surface which engages the outer surface of the blank which is being removed and the other finger engaging the inner surface of the blank which is being removed. 7 v

10. A means for separating one from a pile of blanks comprising two substantially parallel fingers connected to move together andextendingtransversely of the pile of blanks nea-rjone'end thereof, means for reciprocating these fingers to pass them un- :der and withdraw them from beneath the V a r r 1,300,084

point of the innermost of said fingers to pass between said blank and the others of the pile and the outermost of said fingers to engage the outer surface of the blank being removed, the blank-engaging side of said latter finger being inclined to its direction of reciprocation. to force the end of the blank back toward the pile.

11. A mechanism for separating one from a pile of blanks, comprising three fingers connected to move together, one of said fingers acting to normally sustain the pile of blanks near the center of their length and having a catch adapted by its end to engage the edge of a blank to remove it from the pile when the blank has been sepa- "ated from the pile, the other two fingers being located near the end of the pile of blanks, the innermost of these two fingers being in position to enter its point between the outermost blank and the others when said outermost blank is deflected away from the pile, and the outermost finger having an inclined surface engaging the outer surface of said deflected. blank to force it toward the pile.

1,2. A mechanism for removing one from a pile of blanks comprising three fingers separated laterally from each other and connected to move together, in the direction of their length, one of said fingers being placed to reciprocate beneath the central portion of and to support the pile, and to be withdrawn from beneath the pile, the other two fingers being offset lengthwise their {lXlS from said first named finger and being-located toward one end of the pile, the innermost of said two fingers being adapted for entering between the outer most blank and the other: and the outermost of said two fingers engaging the outer surface of said outermost blank and being inclined to force the end of the blank back toward the pile.

13. A' blank feeding device comprising means engaging the edges of apile of blanks to retain them together, reciprocating blanksupporting members adapted to engage the central portions of the face of the lowermost blank to support the pile and to be withdrawn therefrom, an end of the blanks projecting beyond their supports to permit deflecting thereof, a deflecting member acting'by attraction upon the face of the outermost blank to deflect its unsupported end, a blank separating finger and a blank bending finger engaging respectively with the inner andwith the outer surfaces of the outer blank, and means for reciprocating said fingers and the blank supporting members in conformity.

14. A blank feeding device comprising blank supports adapted to be withdrawn from beneath the pile of blanks, and also adapted to permit deflection of one end of the blanks, a suction device adapted toengage the same end of the blanks to deflect the outermost, and positive acting means entering between said blank when deflected and the other blanks.

15. A blank feeding device comprising combined supporting and Withdrawing members engaging the central portion of a pile of blanks to normally support them, a combined separating and supporting finger ofi'set both laterally and lengthwise from said sap-porting and Withdrawing members, means for deflecting an end of the outermost blank to permit entrance of the separating finger between it and the pile, and

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner Washington, D. 0.

means for reciprocating said supporting V and separatlng members to alternately and oppositely ithdraw them from and insert them beneath the pile of blanks.

16. A blank 'feeding'mechanism compris ments of said actuative member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my slgnature.

JOHN T. WILMOBE. 2

o! Iatenta.

25 ing device respectively to opposite move- 

